Big German WW I Floatplanes

Among the first strategic bombers were the WW I vintage Zeppelin-Staaken Riesenflugzeuge aircraft but three were built as the Zeppelin-Staaken 8301 floatplane to serve with the Kaiserliche Marine and painted in the lozenge pattern of the time. This family of aircraft had four or five engines as well as an almost unique fully enclosed fuselage and cockpit. The fuselage and wings were largely fabric-over-wood construction though the floats were built with duralumin. — San Diego Air & Space Museum archive photo

Passengers boarding into the capacious fuselage of the Zeppelin-Staaken 8301 floatplane — San Diego Air & Space Museum archive photo

Gotha WD.11 Wasser Doppledecker (water biplane) floatplane was Gotha’s reply for the design of torpedo bomber during WW I with pilot and observer/rear gunner sitting in tandem — San Diego Air & Space Museum archive photo

Gotha WD.14 Wasser Doppledecker (water biplane) floatplane was an enlarged and improved WD.11 with a wider fuselage allowing for side-by-side seating (pilot and observer/gunner) as well as a rear gun position — San Diego Air & Space Museum archive photo

Gotha WD.15 Wasser Doppledecker (water biplane) floatplane was an improved WD.2 with plywood skin as opposed to fabric as well as a more powerful engine — San Diego Air & Space Museum archive photo